One of the biggest mistakes that any grower can make is thinking that they will never get struck by a disease. This is often a folly of beginner growers, who might go through several growing seasons without ever having any problems.

However, all it takes is for one attack of a fungal or viral disease to understand just how important plant viral disease protection is. There is nothing more disheartening for a hydroponic grower than to walk into your grow room and discover that all of your plants are weak and limp because of disease.

Fortunately, plant viral disease protection does not have to be an all-consuming endeavor.

Just a few steps can make sure that you spend all of your time growing your plants, and very little helping them recover:

Salicylic acid – Salicylic acid is a substance already used by many plants for plant viral disease protection. Fortunately, you can actually buy supplements that contain salicylic acid, which will give your plants an extra layer of protection against viral diseases.

This substance works just like a vaccination, strengthening your plants defenses against viruses and other pathogens that can cause serious damage to all of your gardening efforts. You can use it as a root tonic or in your foliar spray, or as both in order to get serious all around protection.

Thicker Roots – One way that you can work to ensure that your plant stays healthy and has a stronger immune system is by doing everything in your power to thicken your roots.

Sometimes, lots of disease, such as a rust or other viral disease, can take hold on your plant because thin or simplistic root systems just do not provide your plants with all of the nutrients that they need to stay healthy. You can fight this by using a smart root booster, preferably one that has a lot of living bio-ingredients.

Smart Cloning – Another method of plant viral disease protection is to just make certain that you are cloning the right plants. Too many growers see cloning as just an easy method of propagation, and not a method to make certain that you have the strongest, healthiest plants that you can possibly have. You should pay very close attention to your plants propagated with seeds to check for which ones are the over performers.

Those that exhibit traits such as larger roots, faster growth, and more full foliage also are often the most disease resistant. Having a garden full of disease resistant plants can make each growing season a lot easier on you.

Pest Control – Hydroponic gardens are less susceptible to pests than other types of gardens, but it is still possible to suffer an infestation. Since one of the most common ways viruses are introduced to your plants is through pests, you would be very smart to use simple pest preparedness as plant viral disease protection.

Make sure that there are few opportunities for pests to enter into your grow room. And keep methods of pest control on hand in case you ever have to deal with them.

Every step of your hydroponic growing should be done with one thing in mind: huge blooms. While there is a lot of little things that you have to do in order to get to that point, it is helpful to remember why you putting in all of the effort.

While these are very achievable in hydroponics they simply will not happen on their own. They only happen through the smart combination of hard work, good tools, and the right bloom stimulators.

Usually, it is not just one bloom stimulator that really get the job done for creating big blooms. It is a combination of several bloom stimulators to create a huge affect.

If you want to get great blooms, check out these powerful bloom stimulators that you can use in your hydroponic system:

PK 9/18 – If you talk to some hydroponics growers, they might immediately suggest you start using PK 13/14 as a bloom stimulator. But this is a problem, because this formula actually contains way too much phosphorus.

This formula is based on outdoor soil gardening, where phosphorus is more likely to get washed away. In an indoor hydroponics setting, the best bloom stimulator formula is PK 9/18. It gives your plants that extra shot of potassium that they really need to create huge blooms, without overloading them with phosphorus.

Humates – This is something that you should actually use throughout the development of your plants, but it works very well in conjunction with other bloom stimulators. Humates are materials that simply work with hydroponics nutrients to make them more readily absorbed into your plant.

They work as a bloom stimulator mostly because they help ensure optimal uptake of phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential to the development of blooms during this time.

Amino Acids – They are one of the most overlooked bloom stimulators, but they also have probably the greatest potential to increase the overall color , weight, and taste of your blooms. Probably the two most important amino acids to create larger blooms are tryptophan and cystein.

When you use them during the blooming phase, you will probably start noticing big changes in aroma and rate of growth. Typically, you find these amino acids in combination with other bloom stimulators in hydroponic products, though they are sometimes sold separately at hydroponic supply stores.

Vitamins – Just like people, plants need an assortment of vitamins in order to thrive. If you are looking for a good bloom stimulator, you shouldn’t ignore the power of vitamins, like certain forms of plant friendly B and C. C is especially important during the final couple weeks of plant development, while B can help fight off stress.

Your plant can suffer a great deal of stress in the weeks leading up to harvest time, which might actually cause your plants to shrink and subsequently hurt your harvest. By using B vitamins, you prevent this from happening, and ensure that any difficult conditions do not prevent you from having the best blooms possible.

About BigMike Straumietis

If you grow or consume marijuana, you've benefited from something BigMike has done.

Since 1983, BigMike Straumietis has worked tirelessly to find new ways
to bring marijuana to its true genetic potential-legally and illegally. He's overseen
the cultivation of over a million pot plants, been the target of a federal manhunt
by the DEA and U.S. Marshals, lived on the lam for almost a decade under seven
different identities, and brought over 50 firsts to the world of marijuana growing.
In 1996, BigMike took $25,000 he'd made from a small illegal grow in Temecula,
California, snuck into Canada with a fake passport and built a growing and
trafficking organization 200 people strong. He then used his growing and
business expertise to start his company, Advanced Nutrients. Today,
Advanced Nutrients is the maker of the #1 selling cannabis-specific
nutrient line in the world, with over $105 million a year in sales from
over 100 countries.

When he's not figuring out ways to grow bigger and better buds, throwing
parties at his world famous marijuana mansion, or running Advanced Nutrients,
BigMike dabbles in creating social change. His charity Holiday Heroes feeds
over 26 thousand people in need, each Easter and Christmas. Mike created
the political party, Nova Bulgaria, in order to create real change in the corrupt
government of Bulgaria. Advanced Nutrients donated over a million dollars
worth of nutrients to assist sick and dying patients, built a classroom in
Uganda, and constructed a grow room for CannaMoms, to allow children who
suffer from conditions such as epilepsy and cancer access to the medicine
they need. Advanced Nutrients also lends seed money to individuals in
developing countries who dream of starting a small business, but lack the
means to do so, donate heavily to the Marijuana Policy Project, and are
spearheading MMJ Bulgaria, which advocates for Medical Marijuana
legalization in Bulgaria.